An interesting "Year of the Veteran" incident

[Art Johnson]

 
 
Sat, April 16, 2005



Hero denied benefits

GENERAL'S IGNORING OF VETERAN'S QUESTIONS AN EMBARRASSMENT THAT NEEDS TO BE FIXED BY DEFENCE MINISTER, PETER WORTHINGTON BELIEVES
By PETER WORTHINGTON, TORONTO SUN

CLIFF CHADDERTON, the aging tiger who fights for veterans, is on the warpath. At a Canadian Club luncheon on April 12 where retired chief of defence staff, Gen. Paul Manson, spoke about the new Canadian War Museum, Mr. Chadderton was snubbed when he tried to ask a question.

As the chairman of the National Council of Veteran Associations, representing 50 Canadian veterans groups, he is the single most powerful voice veterans have.

And on this day, wearing all his medals, using two walking sticks, and in considerable pain from shrapnel still in his back from World War II, he sought to interest Gen. Manson and an assortment of MPs and senators at the luncheon in the case of Cliff Wenzel.

Wenzel is one of Canada's genuine heroes of the war.

An RCAF bomber pilot, he won a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) in World War II, an Air Force Cross (AFC) flying in the Berlin Blockade, and flew against Malaysian insurgents and in the Korean War.

When Wenzel left the RCAF in 1960, it was deemed "not in the public interest" and he was denied a reduced pension for his 20 years of service -- 14 of them as a flight-lieutenant. Manson not only ignored Chadderton, but his question was cut off by the national anthem. Manson scolded Chadderton for asking a question.

Wenzel's lawyer, Michel Drapeau, says the only question from the floor that Manson answered was one from a woman about sheep grazing the grounds around the Vimy Ridge memorial in France.

Defence Minister Bill Graham has promised to look into Wenzel's case, which is really a right versus wrong issue and cries to be corrected -- especially in this "Year of the Veteran."

And Manson is an air force man, for heaven's sake.

Possibly he resents someone whose medals were won in war, which Manson has never experienced.

Chadderton, the old soldier, is keenly aware of the significance of the DFC and AFC and suspects the "not in the public interest" slur was because the RCAF wanted to use Wenzel's expertise in Canada's then-developing aircraft industry.

For someone with Wenzel's unique flying talents, says Chadderton, "it is difficult to imagine that in this Year of the Veteran a government would be so heartless as to deny (him) a combination of benefits."

Chadderton was "aghast," as were others, that Gen. Manson paid tribute to cadets in his speech, but studiously ignored both Chadderton and Wenzel and the luncheon table filled with medal-wearing vets that was directly in front of the podium.

Chadderton -- like Wenzel and Drapeau -- is nothing if not a fighter for causes he believes in. And veterans are his specialty.

"Disasters are strewn across the path of people like me, but they have a difficult time in shutting me up because many people in the ballroom of the Chateau Laurier were well aware of who I was and that obviously I knew something about the situation," says Chadderton in a letter, which he's forwarded to Bill Graham.

Chadderton challenges "the powers that be" to explain the term "not in the public interest" in denying Wenzel's reduced pension.

The importance of the AFC and DFC and Wenzel's performance under fire exceeds the qualifications of most who attended the luncheon honouring the war museum. Wenzel's case now rests with Bill Graham himself.

There are indications that he will recommend that the new military ombudsman look into it -- which itself seems a copout and more of the syndrome of shifting decisions to someone else.

Personally, if that's the case, I'm disappointed in Bill Graham, who showed rare leadership when he was the first senior minister in Ottawa to deal with the tsunami disaster in the South pacific.

C'mon, Bill, do the right thing for Wenzel!

 

[Cloud Cover]

Doesn't surprise me at all.

*self edited-- had the urge to vent

 

[the 48th regulator]

This is what we have to stop!

This is what I rant about.

We have to nip this attitude right in the bud.

dileas

tess

 

[Long in the tooth]

Please excuse the ignorance on my part, but there seems to be information here that is missing.

1.  How much time did Wenzel have in the service?  I understand that wartime service counts triple time.

2.  Did he contribute to a pension plan?

3.  Was he forced out for medical reasons attributable to military service?

4.  Am I to infer that DFC/AFC awards create a more deserving class of veterans?

I would honestly like some answers to come to an informed opinion.  Both Mr Chatterton and Worthington can be selective with the facts, IMHO.

 

[pronto]

A very good observation, both Worthington and Chadderton can indeed be self-serving. My understanding  on this is that Worzel was "screwed" out of a pension due to a superior's petulance and personality conflict with the gentleman. However - all this having been said - ambushing a person at a function by grabbing the microphone and trying to be a smartass is a really really rotten thing to do. Frankly you end up embarrassing yourself, the object of your attempt, and you do a disservice to the topic you wish to promote.

I have seen smartasses ambush Ministers, Deputy Ministers, and senior officers and bureaucrats time and time again. It never works. This sounds like another case of ambush "journalism" on someone's behalf.

I know the inevitable argument is a whingeing "but he was not getting any results, and he had to bring this to the public's attention."... Too bad. Not an excuse - there are other ways.

 

[the 48th regulator]

I know the inevitable argument is a whingeing "but he was not getting any results, and he had to bring this to the public's attention."... Too bad. Not an excuse - there are other ways.

what are they?


dileas

tess

 

[Long in the tooth]

I've heard parts of this before but would like to get all the facts.  Did other veterans with comparable service to Mr Wenzel receive a pension?  What part did his superior have in this?  I know that unless I am tried by court martial and sentenced to dismissal with disgrace I WILL get a pension after 20 years.

Something is missing here.  Did Mr Wenzel get a return of pension contributions or some other severance package?  Does he get a DVA pension?

Most vets who were forcibly demobilized after WW2 got the short end of the stick as the military was able to 'wash their hands' of them, leaving responsibility to the 'thrifty' (being charitable here) DVA.  Mr Wenzel seems at least to have had a career out of it.

 

[pronto]

Some other ways: Engage press, write to MPs, make personal appointments, pay for lawyers, find pro bono lawyers, find publicity hounds, Don't get yourself too identified with an issue - use lobbyists (pro bono if possible - a LOT of them do that). The press LOVE a story where they can play on public sympathy.

Remember: "if it bleeds, it leads" - the hallmark of Canadian journalism. Remember as well - they hate printing the whole story, and they consider full research is a real pain in the arse, they'd prefer to hit the highligts. Remember the crap they printed about the Airborne after Somalia?

Approach it like a campaign - multiple fronts, mutliple personnel. You need to keep hitting the establishment with your "troops" from as many sides as possible. Never use humiliation or embarrassement as a tactic - you will entrench the opposition, and challenge their authority as they see it - gets the testosterone up. Use a stalking horse not yourself.

This is what works for me, time and time again. I learned a long time ago what doesn't work - that's easy 

If you want more info, or  a specific example PM me.

 

[the 48th regulator]

correct me I am wrong, but most of the methods you talked about, is this this not what Wenzel was doing?

I am sorry, maybe I am not reading things correctly, andI am getting confused.

I may take you up on the offer for the PM

dileas

tess

 

[pronto]

correct me I am wrong, but most of the methods you talked about, is this this not what Wenzel was doing?

I am sorry, maybe I am not reading things correctly, andI am getting confused.

I may take you up on the offer for the PM

dileas

tess

Sorry Tess, I see where it could be confusing, I was talking about Chadderton. As the "advocate for Vets" he's the one who should be following the above processes for all his advocat-ees (is that even a word?  :blotto. otherwise all the other vets he is supposed to be helping will suffer as he is unable to act as an advocate. And yes, Wenzel should follow all those things himself, if he wishes to press his case himself. Otherwise, if I were him, I would switch out my advocates, and get my new one to follow the "campaign" model

 

[the 48th regulator]

Roger that,

Agreed with you.  At times I have myself  have used the guerrilla approach (media is magic for that, they are rabid for any type of fuel injection to fan the fires).

But in the end of the day, I left my fate up some journalist who was looking for a story.  Made for great stories, but  I wonder what else it left me....


dileas

tess

 

[jmacleod]

There is a letter published in the Toronto Sun from the President of the Canadian Club of Ottawa
putting the Chadderton incident in her focus. She states that Clifford Chadderton got up to speak
during the playing of the National Anthem - there is no one in Canada who has attended as many
events where the National Anthem is featured as Cliff Chadderton, and he would never under any
circumstance attempt to speak during it's performance. What really happened in my opinion, is
that when the hosts of the event realized what Chadderton was focused on, they ordered the
Anthem to be played to cut him off - which it did. A typical Ottawa spin generated by a lady who
should know better, but obviously does not. I do not know enough about Squadron Leader
Wenzel's pension case to comment, but obviously it has gotten the attention of Journalist Peter
Worthington (Lt.PPCLI Korea) and the well known War Amps advocate Mr. Cliffford Chadderton
whom I have written to several times over the years - Toronto Sun ":Letters" 23 April 2005
MacLeod

 

[pronto]

jmcleod:
your opinion is probably bang-on. Sounds like a typical media trick to move onto something on THEIR agenda. My points above though, still stand... Chadderton misplayed this, and Worthington can be a typical self-serving media type. (Gotta keep the byline up here!). I think his cachet of being Mr. PPCLI has long ago worn out, and he is now merely a journalist keeping his name, style and readership up. His latest diatribe on submarines was off in a few points - but hey, what are facts when you get readers in, n'est-ce pas?  >

That having been said - I think based on what I know, that the Squadron Leader has been screwed totally. Where is his MP? Where is the Veterans Affairs minister, etc.etc. A campaign of information would go a long way to getting this out, and getting it sorted out!. Mr. Worzel is getting on in years, and he should be satisfied...

 

[Art Johnson]

As a member of the War Amps I consider Cliff to be a friend and his right hand assistant Faye Lavelle a very good friend. I was getting screwed by the Provincial Government on a Hepatitis C claim. After a year of dealing through the proper channels and having my claim refused I contacted Faye and within a month the problem was settled. Sunnybrook Hospital and the Canadian Blood Services were stonewalling and didn't want to admit they had screwed up by using blood products imported from US Prisons. Believe me Cliff is one of the most dedicated Veteran's advocates that I know of and if he went to what some people consider to be an extreme action it was because there was no other way.

addendum

OTTAWA, April 22 /CNW Telbec/ - War Amps CEO Cliff Chadderton will be
inducted into the Canada Veterans Hall of Valour at 8:15 p.m. on April 23rd at
the Penthouse Panorama Room of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ottawa.
His tribute will be read by George Blackburn, previous inductee and
author of three best sellers on his war experiences.
Enlisting in 1939 with the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Mr. Chadderton went
from a non-commissioned officer to company commander and was four months in
combat in France and Belgium. A Normandy veteran, he was wounded twice, losing
his right leg in 1944 battling for the Scheldt Estuary.
The Hall, opening May 28th in Carleton Place, Ontario, pays tribute to
Canada's veterans who have been singled out for valour, featuring their
portrait and a biography detailing their military exploits.
"I am tremendously honoured to be included as an inductee," said
Chadderton, noting that it was fitting that the Hall is opening during the
Year of the Veteran. "This Hall has been a labour of love, and this event is
also an opportunity to pay tribute to the organizers for their work in
establishing this wonderful facility."

 

[pronto]

I don't think anyone (certainly not I) was commenting on him as a veteran or as a bona fide war hero. Merely on the misplaying of this particular event. While I am happy your particular case was settled, I think Worzel's case needs to be settled too - and quickly. I have met the man a few times, (I would not consider him even an acquaintance), and he seems a very nice person, with a fierce dedication to his cause. (Actually, he reminds me quite a bit of John Matheson - famous Arty vet).